Spark destroyer for locomotives



June 1, 1937.

I SPARK DESTROYER FOR LOCOMOTIVES R w. ANDERSON 2,082,237

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1955 Jun 1, 1937. 4 R. w. ANDERSON 2,032,237

SPARK DESTROYER FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed June 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g II I Ill. I i

Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED STATES SPARK DESTROYEB. FOR LOCOMOTIVES Ralph W. Anderson, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Application June 10,

4 Claims.

The objects of the invention are to provide for the deadening of the sparks or cinders discharged from the fire-box of the locomotive through the draft tubes, before they are discharged from the smoke-stack, and to prevent the material accumulation of cinders within the smoke-box or within the spark destroyer itself.

The invention consists of a device such as hereinafter described and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the front end of the locomotive and of the improved spark destroyer, the internal parts of the latter being shown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of the spark destroyer and certain associated parts of the 10- comotive; i

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section of the spark destroyer; and

Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the elements of the destroyer.

The front end of the locomotive is shown at Ill, and its smoke-stack at H.

The spark destroyer comprises an inner cylindrical casing l4 having flat top and bottom walls l2, l2 and a vertical side wall which is apertured intermediate its ends and preferably throughout its entire circumference. The upper section of this casing is fitted upon and secured to the petticoat E3 of the smoke-stack. The lower section I4 is fitted over the steam nozzle [5 of the locomotive and rests upon and is secured to the table plate l6.

An annular series of straight vertical vanes H is located within this casing and fixedly attached to its side walls. To provide for the convenient attachment and replacement of these vanes, short lugs as Ila are attached to the inner faces of the lower and upper sections of the casing I4, as by welding, the vanes being bolted to these lugs. The vanes I! are disposed obliquely to diameters of the casing taken through their bases and are uniformly inclined away from such bases, their inclination being such that the passages as l9, between them, are materially restricted at their inner ends.

The width of the vanes I1 is such that their inner ends are spaced a substantial distance from the steam column discharged upwardly from the nozzle into the smoke-stack. They are preferably of sheet metal and are slightly shorter than the vertical dimension of the casing l4, their lower ends being spaced from the bottom of the 1935, Serial No. 25,831

casing as plainly shown in Fig. 3 and are inclined upwardly approximately from the longitudinal median line of the plate, the inclination of the outer section being slightly greater than the inclination of the inner section. The upper ends of these vanes are also preferably spaced from the top wall of the casing and are inclined downwardly toward their inner margins.

The casing I4 is enclosed within a cylindrical casing l8 of considerably greater diameter. The upper end of the casing I8 is preferably in line with the top of the casing l4, its lower end, however, being spaced from the bottom of this casing as shown in Fig. 3.

Two series of helically disposed vanes 2B, 2!,

are located between the casings l4 and i8, and extend, respectively, from the bottom and top of these casings approximately to their horizontal median line, the direction of inclination of these vanes corresponding withthe direction of the vanes l1.

For the purpose of giving'access to the interior of'the destroyer the outer casing i8 is provided with a removable panel 22 facing the front end of the locomotive.

The rear end of the smoke-box of the locomotive is, as usual, cut off from the forward end, back of the spark arrester, by a vertical partition 23 extending upwardly from the table plate 16, and a vertical plate 24 extending upwardly from the'steam header 25 forming an element of the super-heater of the locomotive.

The products of combustion enter the spark destroyer from the forward end. of the smokebox, both from below and above and are guided helically by the vanes 20, 2| to the median transverse plane through the lateral opening in the side walls of the inner casing and. thence are guided inwardly by vanes ll. Traveling at great velocity the cinder-laden smoke continues to move spirally inward until it reaches and intermingles with the steam column.

The minus pressure developed within the inner casing by the rapidly moving column of steam is manifest below and above the lateral opening of the inner casing of the destroyer, and some of the smoke and cinders will be thereby carried directly downward and upward within the casing. The downward current will in part be drawn radially inward as it descends; the remainder will strike the bottom wall of the easing l4 and will be drawn inwardly and upwardly by the ascending steam column. The space left below the vanes ll insures a free circulation over the bottom of the casing, preventing any accumulation of cinders thereon. This action is improved by the vertical widening of the space toward the outer margins of the vanes.

The lowering of the pressure in the upper portion of the casing l4 causes an upward deflection of some of the cinder-laden smoke, and a similar turbulent action at the upper end of the vanes occurs, but, of course, with no tendency to the accumulation of cinders.

Under thelinfluence of the forceddraft due to the engine exhaust, the products of combustion travel at very high velocity, and the spark destroyer has been designed with a view to avoiding the checking of this velocity. It has also been so designed as to prolong vtheperio'd'of time required for the products .of combustioncto reach the smoke-stack, by causing them to travel on tortuous and, consequently lengthened paths and to subject them to violent turbulence. While the various paths provided for the-moving 'productsof 'combustion are tortuous and are so arranged as to insure the impact of 'cinders against the walls of these paths, there is substantially no retardation of the smoke movement, and hence the steaming capacity of the locomotive is not reduced.

By reason of the attrition of the cinders upon each other and by their contact with-the -walls of the-spark destroyer which cause-a deflection of their direction oftravel, they are so completelyreduced in size that their inflammation is stopped before they issue -from the stack. In the use of fuels such as lignite,.in which the combustion is most prolonged, no live sparks issue from .the stack when the locomotive is equipped with the spark destroyer forming the subject of this application.

Various changes in details of construction can be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A spark destroyer for locomotives comprising a cylindrical casing, having a continuous lateral opening spaced from its top and bottom and having top and bottom openings for fitting,

respectively, upon the lo-werend or a smokestack and the upper end of an exhaust nozzle, and vertical vanes extending inwardly from the side walls of the casing each oblique to the diameter of the casing on which its point of attachment is located, and downwardly acrossthe lateral opening spaced from its top and bottom and having top and bottom openings for fitting,

respectively, upon the lower end of a smokestack and the upper end of an exhaust nozzle, vertical vanes extending inwardly from the side walls of the casing each oblique to the diameter of the casing on which its point of attachment is located, the upper ends of the vanes being above the lateral opening and their lower ends being adjacent to but spaced from the bottom of the casing, an annular casing surrounding and spaced .from the first named .casing and being open at the bottom, and annularly arranged helically disposed vanes located between said casings and extending from the bottom of the outer casing and terminating approximately at thehorizontal-median line of the lateral opening, all of the helical vanes being similarly circumferentially directed.

"3. A spark destroyer for locomotives comprising a cylindrical casing having a continuous lateral opening spaced from its top and bottom and having top and bottom openings for fitting, respectively, uponthe lower end of a smoke stack casing on which its point of attachment is located, said vanes crossing the lateral opening. and their lower ends being adjacent to but spaced from the bottom of the casing, an annular casing surrounding and spaced from the first-named casing and being open at its top and bottom, an'dannularlyarranged helically disposed vanes located between the casings and extending from adjacent the top and bottom thereof and terminating within the zone of the lateral opening.

LA spark destroyer'for.locomotives comprising, in combination, a cylindrical casing having a continuous lateral opening spaced from its top and bottom and having top and bottom openings for'fitting, respectively, upon the lower end of a smoke stack and the upper end of an exhaust nozzle, vertical vanes extending inwardly from the side walls of the casing each oblique to the diameter of the casing on Which its point of attachment is located, the upper ends of the vanes being above the lateral opening and their lower ends beingadjacent to but spaced from the bottom of the casing, an annular casing surrounding and spaced from the first-named cas ing andbeing open at the top, and annularly arranged helically disposed vanes located betweensaid casings and extending from the top of .the outer casing and terminating approximately at the horizontal median plane of the lateral opening of the inner casing.

RALPH W. ANDERSON. 

